Merry Christmas to all...

HOHOHO... MERRY CHRISTMAS every one!

Charb wishes you all the best for the Holiday Season!

Lots of presents, lots of parties and fun!

One of his wishes was finally granted:

to be HOME! Sweet home!

With a stair climber, operated by Justin,

under the watchful eye of AJ and Godfry,

he made it upstairs despite snow & ice!

Santa was getting tired!

but he refused to rest till the delivery was all done!
































Well, Santa, so long! Till next year!

A warm welcome...

It was amazing to see and to hear!

We knew he was excitedly waiting to see Jodo and Teta,

but it was a blast

when they walked in!

He was jubilating!

Yelling "Maroun Boslaya!.. Foufou"...

Hugging and kissing!

Laughing his gutts out!

Screaming!

And his body lifted almost up in the air!

Wow!

Never seing him like that before!

... Rita! They are here!

A long & painfull recovery...

As you know, Charb had his tendon operated on
November 5th, 08.

After three days in the QEII

he came home.

Everyone had said it will be a painful recovery,

but no one said AGONIZINGLY painful!

For Charb NEVER complained about being in pain!

Those who
witnessed him dislocating his elbow at wrestling, or

his knee playing rugby, they know he does not quit!

Isn't his best saying :

Pain is temporary, Pride is for ever?

Well, this time pain was primordial!

Complaining was going on all day!

All Night!

Charb who "loves" to eat, stoped eating!
Stoped asking for a drink,

Chocolate milk, Please!

Interestingly alarming!

"Give me a knife!

I want to cut it off!

Cut it off!"

"ilaama shoo am toojahni!"

(meaning: Oh, God! how painful!"

On and on and on all the time!

Tylenol and morphine did one thing:

They helped to keep him awake all night!

All night calling for help, more medication, and

"Take me to the Hospital now!"

Mixing with them a lot of "f..." words

"sh..." words and the like!

One week after he went back to see his Surgeon,

who took the first cast out and was pleased to see

Charbel's foot coming better!

He put a new cast on, a christmassy one!!!

We were pleased too!

... Till we came home and the same scenario repeated.

And we were around him not able to do much,

helpless and hopeless!

Now, 4 weeks after, things are getting better!

Once a day, usually in the evening,

he starts to complain but his humour is back!

He laughs and make us laugh!

He can't wait to "take it off" and go back to

the store to meet people!

And he is impatiently waiting to see

Jodo and Teta (grand parents)

coming to visit!

In good mood, finally!

Littlle small for the big head, baby!

But good to see you smile!

Nov the 8th!

Charbel's Birthday!

Family and few friends gathered

to cheer him up and wish him

the best! TO BE WALKING

by next Birthday!

Charb had tendon lengthening surgery

last Weds, Nov 5th...

He was in QEII till yesterday,

Nov 7th...

The surgery went well, but the pain

was horrible! And even though Charb does never

complain about pain, this one was untolarable!

He still in great suffering,

but never lost his sense of humour!

The cast served well for Get Well
and Birthday wishes!

And Charb's favorite saying:

Pain is temporary.

Pride is for ever.

Reflexions

How do you feel about mom & dad?
My mom & dad are good, booooring, but good.

What about your recovery?
I see many years to come.
My recovery is extremely important

and needs to be done.


I plan to continue on doing it.



Go, ,Charb, go!
U can do it!
If anyone can do it, it's you!
(Thumbs up!)
Sweet, sweet in a heart beat

Thank you God for this wonderful gift u have given me!
(insight)
Please, make it stronger, dear God

I try and pray a lot...
We need God.
He gives us what we need in life.
What we love.
Like friends and family.


How is your sight, Charbie?
I see letters in blur,


but I am fine with that.
I don't like to read. Never did.
Maybe now, I would like to read ,
especially about a fun subject,
like sports, weight lifting or arts.

What do u think about honesty?
Honesty makes the world go round!
I need more time to think about it!
Write that down so I will remember

What is your first memory after the accident?
I have no idea.


What are the things you do through the week?
I have no idea!
I spend my time at home.
I go to the hospital to work on
my recovery.

What do you do?
Not a clue!

It's boring, boring!
I am bored out of my mind!

What would like to do?
Party.
I would like to party all week long.

What would like to do that is really meaningfull?
(Shrugs his shoulders, pauses..)
I would like to work in the Hospital for
whatever they need me for

More on Charb... by Charb!

Lets say, well... Ellen is playing Socrates!
Ask a question, and another one, and
find the "truth" from one's own answers!

... Go ahaed, Ellen!

Charb, how are you feeling today?
I do not know how to tell you.
I feel sad and tired and unhappy and droopy...
What is going on in your head?
I don't know, sometimes I worry about the future.
I want to write "bah hum bug":
that means I am annoyed with life...



The world is a place where you feel everything,
love and hate
Love? is when you more than like a person,
when you would kill to be with ,
or destroy anything to get to! All for love.
Hate? When u don't like something at all,
when you just would destroy it, bring it down!
I feel like I could cry, cause I feel so lonely.

No girl in my life.

Friends aren't enough sometimes.
u need love to be happy
u love your friends in a different way.

Do u love yourself?
I don't think. Why should I?

It's not easy loving myself, cause I think I am a big time loser.

Cause it has been a very long time since I had a girl to hold and love...

My friends don't give in to every thing I say.
They don't believe what I tell them.
I can't remember what, though
( with a sarcastic laugh)!




My life seems OK. But I don't like where I am at.
It's so hard on me, so darn boring!



I like you, Ellen. I like Justin.
I like Anthony but I liked him more
before the accident,
because I don't do the same things
with him now, we even played with Lego (smile!)


I want to write about hot girls.
I'm really passionate about sexy ladies.

I need more people loving me.
I need a single hot young lady loving me

This makes me anxious.

I need to work on my recovery,
but it's boring, I need fun and excitement!

It's complicated.

It's such a slow process, too slow for me.

But I am still fighting!

Three years later...

YES!
It has been 3 long years!
Lots of advances made, a lot more still to happen.
Whoever said it would be very slow was right.
Whoever thought it would be impossible was wrong...
"Despair" is rarely resurfacing.Tears are drying.
Ups and downs, bright moments and grim ones alternate all day long.
Laughs cascade more often, as we sit together and listen to him
with his fine sense of humor, and his sharp remarks!

Still, we need more and we need it now!

But what about him???

What does he think of exercises, people around him, his life and its meaning?

Well, lets listen to him, by his own words!

My life is sad,
one minute I'm winning a Championship,
the next I'm a big loser.

Define Loser: _ Someone who does not win anything!

If only I had something to inspire me!

Define Inspiration:_ The meaning behind winning a Championship.

I miss lifting weights, playing rugby and wrestling.
Maybe I can become a swimmer, but I'm not interested in that.

I like to watch TV. I want to play video games.

Everything seems so hard, if not impossible.

My brain injury makes me sad.
My recovery irritates me, I find it very boring, incredibly boring.

I can not think about the injury,
it's too much to pursue, to handle, to deal with.

I am sick of the people who help me daily!
they constantly repeat themselves.

I feel my anger very heavy, the heaviest part of my body.
Like a big heavy weight on my shoulders.

I hate that I can not keep thoughts in my head.

I hate the fact that I rarely see my friends, and when I do
I can't remember seeing them.

I feel like a different person.

More confident in some ways, like talking to people.
I am not sure why, I think it's because I'm lonely.

I feel my life getting better ever so slowly!

It will change! I feel it, on the outside right here (lifting his hand
over his heart and chest).
It's hard to explain.

All you people out there:
LIVE STRONG
FIGHT HARD
NEVER STOP BELIEVING.

This was Charbel's sort of "confession" recorded & written by Ellen

few days ago...

In his exercise room, getting ready for action!

Hanging out with Justin!



Happy to see an old friend!



Slide out of the wheelchair, in
the rear of his van!



Eating "shawarma" and loving it!

September 08 BREAKTHROUGH...

Charb had finally made it to the swimming pool at Acadia,

thanks to The SMILE program! & and the good volonteers!

He does enjoye going there a lot!

More videos in Photo album

More of August!

Charb meets Dorcas!
It has been over a year since she promised to take him out for a Burger!












Dorkas, Megan & Bill with us around Charb...














After a long wait, he is taking it seriously!

All you can eat & drink, man!

Thank you, Dorcas! It was nice meeting you!
Hopefully next time around we can make "grape leaves!"

Rainy August!

August 2008 was the worst month in years! Weather wise!
It rained every day... by the buckets! or as Sam slick says: It rained
cats and dogs!


Still, we managed to do some activities and met a lot of people!

We went to Acadia... and had a swim!

We met Cynthia, the OT...


And best of all, we had a BBQ party!






Bill Brown, Anthony Wood and Ellen
played music...

Other's waited for food...




Some even tried to steal my burger!



.. or my drinks!



Fortunatly, Jhonny and Megan were there to help me!


See more by clicking Photo Album!... Enjoy!

July's improvements... and more!

Here is Charb with Godfry, proudly wearing the new jersey

and planning the future of the
Rugby team, The Machine!

He is able to wheel himself around, but preferes not to do it!

Except when going to the kitchen!

Meeting with Doctor S. Walling, the Neurosurgeon who took

care of him in QEII... amd who is amazed of Charb beating all

medical expectations!

Surprised and "sooooo... happy" to see Charb,

nurses from the 7th floor greet him with disbelief!

(He spent 4 month there, one operation after another,

ended up opening his eyes, then left to Windsor Hospital...)

More of June's fun!

Graduation day at KES...

Charb meets some old friends!

Some of June activities...

Since his accident, Charb did not have a good dentist checkup.

Finally, he got to see one. He was put to sleep! It took more than 5 hours to

fix over 15 cavities! Poor Charb! No food for couple days!




He liked Grand Pre... but did not care for the documentary!

" I hope you did not pay for the tickets!" he said!




Ellen is leaving! She will be working with Charb

occasionally!





Justin is now the "Body Guard!"

Watch out!

Charb picking cherries...

with the help of Chantal...

and dad!

After the joy of picking,
than eating cherries....

comes the punishment:
Brushing his teeth!

The funniest home video!...

... This was suppose to be done in... well, May!
Blame the delay on me!

Anyway, here is the story:

Norma's friend, Wanda, invited us for a BBQ.
Charb was very excited to get out and have a BBQ at Wanda's. He kept saying:
"When are we going? We gonna be late!"

Finally we get to Wanda's and out of the van, Norma gives Charb a bottle of wine and tells him to hold it tight and not brake it!
I start wheeling him to the front door, but Wanda said it would be easier from the pool side, since we are having the BBQ there...
Here was Toni leading us and jokingly I asked if he wants us to go "over" the swimming pool that was still covered! " No, no, there is room on the side!"


Actually, there was room for two wheelchairs till... you hit the steps!


Here was Norma walking to my left, Toni in front, myself pushing Charb, all talking and
laughing....

All of a sudden, the wheelchair starts tilting toward the pool!
I was stunned and kept pulling, not knowing why it is sliding!
I stepped firmer! to hold better.... and was in the pool, the chair coming down on me!

with Charb coming down, the eyes wide open, the mouth wide open,
the face expressing surprise, fear, stupefaction,

Me in the water on my knees up to my neck, Charb still coming face down, mouth open!
With my left hand I tried to keep the chair up, with my right hand trying to hold his head above
water!




Norma screams and grabs the left wheels!
Toni, realising the situation, jumps down in the water to help!

Charb's head plunges in the water, mouth still wide open!
I felt a sharp pain in my spine, remembering all the professionals warnings about Charb choking if he gets his head down in deep water!
Just few second for that, and the mind brings millions of images and possibilities,
none of them tranquilizing!

... But all efforts from the three of us, and a bit of luck!
we pushed the chair and Charb (buckled up on it) back on the track!
And here comes Charb emerging from the water, soaked to the bones,
lifting his right hand with the bottle of wine intact!



From a scary and tragic moment, to hysterical laughs!

And, as soon as Charb could talk, he said:
"It would have being the funniest home video if some one had taped it!"
And laughs to cascade!
Now, all soaked, we had to convince Charb of going back home to change!
"But what about the BBQ? No, no, I'd rather stay!"

It was a very quick visit! From the van, to pool, back to the van! Less than 5 minutes!
Who can stop Norma from laughing?


It was Charb's first pool party in almost three years!

Well, an hour later Wanda and Toni brought the food to our house, and Charb had all he could eat!